alma mater

noun

al·​ma ma·​ter ˌal-mə-ˈmä-tər 

1

: a school, college, or university which one has attended or from which one has graduated

went to a class reunion at his alma mater

2

: the song or hymn of a school, college, or university

"Hey, Harvard boy, sing your alma mater!" shouted an obnoxious producer.

—Phil Kloer

Examples of alma mater in a Sentence

I visited my old alma mater last week.

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump will be spending the evening at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., and Harris will be at her college alma mater Howard University in Washington. —Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024

Harris will host a watch party at her alma mater, Howard University, in Washington, D.C., according to NPR. —Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024

Harris was also gifted tickets by ESPN to a football game between Florida A&M University and her alma mater, Howard University, worth $1,890.00. —Kate Gibson, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2024

Asked about his team’s surge, Foster pivoted to the athletic director who elevated him from running backs coach to head coach at his alma mater. —Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, fostering mother

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

alma mater

noun

al·​ma ma·​ter ˌal-mə-ˈmät-ər 

: a school, college, or university that one has attended

Etymology

Latin, literally "fostering mother," from almus "nourishing" (from alire "to nourish") and mater "mother" — related to alimentary, maternal